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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25650562">Ang Huling El Bimbo (The Last El Bimbo)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenkaVittoriaElisse16/pseuds/LenkaVittoriaElisse16'>LenkaVittoriaElisse16</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SteveTony games 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Hurt Tony Stark, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Mentions of Violence, Mentions of crime, Mutual Pining, Presumed Dead, Sort Of, dystopian setting, poverty setting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:48:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,042</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25650562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenkaVittoriaElisse16/pseuds/LenkaVittoriaElisse16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve saves a man’s life by yanking him away from a speeding car. But sometimes fate plays a significant role and that the person he just saved was his former classmate and love, Tony Stark.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SteveTony games 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852267</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Team Angst</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ang Huling El Bimbo (The Last El Bimbo)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the SteveTony games, Angst fill</p><p>Square: O3<br/>PROMPT FILL: Dancing (Fluff prompt)<br/>Bonus prompts: 4th wall breaking (hopefully)</p><p>Notes: Inspired by the musical “Ang Huling El Bimbo” and the song of the same name by Eraserheads</p><p>FYI BIMBO could mean a lot of things:<br/>1) Bread in Spanish<br/>2) Slang word for a female Himbo<br/>3) A popular music in the 70’s used for ballroom dancing</p><p>*For this fic I will be using definition number 3.</p><p>Special Thanks to: Nadine (Firebrands) for the beta<br/>also to: Multiplefandomfan and Jess from the POTS discord for cheer reading</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve decides not to take a shortcut home. Instead of passing the complex maze of alleyways that led him back to his apartment building, he decided to walk the main road, <em> Ermita </em> . <em> It's safer this way </em> , he tells himself, <em> fewer thieves or drug addicts. </em> The chances of his daily wage being <em> snatched </em> from him are lower. </p><p>He trudges along the city's polluted paths, his hands inside the pockets of his worn-out weather-resistant jacket. It's been a while since Steve had shaved his facial hair, let alone cut his hair, so he figures that he'll give himself a lovely trip to the barbershop tomorrow. </p><p>He looks at the not-so-busy streets; usually, the streets are alive during rush hour, so different from the empty ghostly streets he is witnessing. <em> Nearing the unholy hour, </em>Steve thinks. He notices a man a couple of meters in front of him, about to cross the road. Steve looks up and sees the car speeding recklessly. He runs and yanks the man's arm before the vehicle can hit him, thus saving the man's life.</p><p>It’s dark, yet the street lamp's light is enough to illuminate the man's features. Steve recognizes his former classmate from college--Tony Stark's face was gaunt, sickly-looking with his unkempt beard and hollow cheeks. Tony wore a dark poncho over his body for warmth. It is November, winter is soon approaching.</p><p>"S-S-tee-ve?" Tony lets out a mumble, almost fainting into Steve's arms. Steve tries to nudge him back to consciousness, calling out for his name, yet Tony could only manage short answers. </p><p>"My apartment is nearby, would you like to stay there for a while?" Steve asks.</p><p>"Take me with you," is Tony's weak reply.</p><p>And so the destitute painter brings his friend home with him that night.</p><p>Lots of thoughts entered Steve's mind as he supported the other man's weight on his shoulders. His apartment is a couple of blocks from here, it was shabby and small, very unfit for the man he is bringing home. </p><p>It's been over a year since he heard the news that said that Tony Stark, the CEO of Stark Industries, was found dead in a hotel in San Juan. The alleged suicide caused Steve to shed a few tears --His fondest memories were being Tony's friend before the country had succumbed to another debilitating pandemic, thus creating another wave of economic recession. Until now, he regrets not declaring his love for his friend when he had the chance.</p><p>Now Tony (or his ghost) is in his arms.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>He remembers Tony as that bright, rich kid that he met during their ROTC classes. Often, Tony was always the butt of the joke because Officer Hammer was another rich kid infatuated with Stark, yet Stark always turned down his advances. However, Tony's wit had saved him from the jokes, and whatever ill thing that has been said about him came back to bite Hammer's ass, causing their officer to punish Tony further. Tony never minded the humiliation and punishments, though.</p><p>One of his fondest college memories with Tony was when Tony taught him to dance the Boogie or Cha Cha, often using the El bimbo music. He always regretted not asking Tony for a dance when he had the opportunity to do so.</p><p>They both arrive by Steve's apartment, and Tony sits by one of the worn-out couches. Steve looks around: no sign of his roommate, Bucky.</p><p>"I only have coffee and bread," Steve tells him. The coffee Steve offers is a 3-1 coffee mix that is more sugar than coffee. Steve boils water in an electric kettle, he peruses his cupboard for more to eat, a couple of instant noodles and eggs, he hopes its enough to bring some nourishment back into Tony.</p><p>"Steve..." Tony mutters weakly, "Is that you?"</p><p>"Yes," Steve answers, his voice low and hushed. "Come eat before your blood sugar gets ridiculously low."</p><p>He hands Tony a cup of hot coffee, which the other man gladly accepts. He also prepares the noodles with hard-boiled eggs.</p><p>They were halfway through eating when Steve notices Tony smiling to himself. </p><p>"Remember the times when we used to eat lunch by Nena's Canteen? You, Nat, Rhodey and I? I remembered how much you loved eating her sour and savory pork stew? You liked eating it with rice because you said it makes your stomach full. The food was only 7 bucks, yet you always insisted that you didn’t have enough money to buy the pork stew and then I ended up paying for it... and here we are with our situations reversed."</p><p>Steve could recognize the melancholy in Tony's voice. "Tony, I... I thought you were dead," he cuts straight to the point.</p><p>"Indeed I was," Tony said. "I returned back to the world of the living with a vengeance,"</p><p>"What happened?" Steve inquired. "If you don't mind me asking,"</p><p>"My parents died a year after my graduation, a car crash they say," Tony begins his tale. Steve remembers it was all over the news, and Tony continues, "I am not sure if you have heard of that, but that launched me to be the head of SI."</p><p>Steve says nothing,quietly urging Tony to go on.</p><p>"As you may have known, I busied myself creating weapons that benefited our country in a war with the <em> middle continent </em>, while everyone is suffering from wave after wave of various pandemics. Instead of looking for a cure, they looked for someone to blame, and I was a fool for being so blind."</p><p>"...And so," Tony continues. "I announced the closure of the weapons manufacturing department of SI, which infuriated Obadiah, the person I trusted the most, the person who was like a father to me when I've lost my parents that fateful December night." Tony proceeds to recount his tale, a string of unfortunate events at the posh hotel where he was drugged, beaten, violated and left for dead in a landfill away from the city.</p><p>Steve felt anger creep up his chest, the image that Tony painted in his story was enough to shatter his resolve and commit an act of violence on Tony's part. He tries to restrain himself and reaches out to hold Tony's hand instead. Tony accepts, to his surprise, and entwines their hands together, seeking comfort on each other's hold. They both shared a deep sigh as they finished the remainder of their salty noodle broth with bread. </p><p>"I've always thought that your hands are beautiful," Tony said, admiring Steve's fingers. Steve thinks that they are worn out and rough, so unlike Tony's smooth palm, but the dark-haired man disagrees and says that rough hands have more stories to tell. They are more valid, more credible. People wouldn't appreciate his smooth palm, it is aesthetically pleasing, yes, but mundane.</p><p>"I've always thought of you," Steve tells him, finally pouring his heart out. "I always wondered what you were doing, if you were out there creating the technology of your dreams, like the way you bragged about in college,"</p><p>Tony smiles at the fond memory "Rhodey and Nat hated it-"</p><p>"But I don't," Steve says. "You have always been special to me Tony, I didn't know what love was that time, I might have been too young and naive to have known, but you taught my heart its true meaning,"</p><p>"I've always loved you, Steve," Tony confesses."I never saw you as someone who'll I'd be content to just stay friends with, I always thought when the right time would come to tell you, but unfortunately, there was no such thing as <em> the right time </em>."</p><p>"Come here," Steve offers himself, opening his arms and spreading his legs for Tony to latch on a tight embrace. Tony does so and hugs Steve tightly, resting his head on Steve's chest. Steve savors the moment as if he could shield Tony from all the horrors of this world. Steve rocks Tony from side to side as if in a dance, he could feel the front of his shirt get wet as Tony sheds silent tears. Steve didn't dare comment on it, but hummed instead a familiar El Bimbo tune that brought them together from yesteryears. </p><p>Steve had invited Tony to stay the night before he goes to where he intends to go. Steve gives him a fresh change of clothes that seemed a bit too big for Tony's small frame, but Steve found it adorable nevertheless. Afterward, the two of them proceeded to sleep together, cramped in Steve's minuscule bed. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The sun rays penetrate through the blinds, causing Steve to arouse from his slumber. The first thing he sees is Tony's form snuggled against his. Steve watches for a moment when he hears some rustling from the kitchen, <em> Bucky's home </em> , he thinks. He hears Bucky ask him a question, <em> a bit too loud and brash for the morning </em>, Steve thought. and when Bucky shows up in his doorway, Steve tries to hush him, indicating that he is with company. </p><p>If Steve had been more perceptive, he would have noticed how Bucky had stiffened up at the sight of Tony Stark. Instead, Steve answers Bucky's inquiry, and Bucky leaves the apartment. </p><p>Tony stirs beside him, and Steve thinks that he is cute with his tousled hair as it pronounces his curls even more. He greets Tony with a kiss on the temple, earning a blush from the brunet. </p><p>"I thought everything was a dream," Tony said, his hand reaching for Steve's cheek, which Steve takes and presses Tony's palm into his cheek. "I dreamt that we were dancing, just like we used to."</p><p>"Me too," Steve says. "So, what are your plans for today?"</p><p>Tony takes a while, but he responds, "While the world thinks of me dead, It gives me the liberty to roam freely. The only person who knows about my escape from death is you, Rhodey, and another friend of mine, but I think I don't have enough time to work incognito. I've just received a lead about my parent's deaths.” He pauses, catching his breath, “They weren't killed in a car crash, Steve, they were murdered. Somebody sent me the autopsy report of my parent's deaths, Howard and Maria were covered in bruises and stab wounds. I can't imagine--," Tony breaks, more tears springing out of his eyes. "<em> Oh, my mom! </em> She must have been frightened! You have to help me, Steve," he cries more, "And the murderer has to pay for his crime."</p><p>"Do you know who did this?" Steve asked, genuinely concerned that he would want to help his new lover. He tries to soothe Tony by rubbing a hand over Tony’s arm. "How can I help you?"</p><p>"I have no idea yet," Tony confesses, wiping his tears with his fingers. "But hopefully I find the culprit soon,"</p><p>"I hope you do find the culprit soon, Tony," Steve says. "Please, hush those tears away,"</p><p>"I love you, Steve," Tony said. "When this is all over, we’ll be okay, I promise, I just need to bring Obadiah down and reclaim SI, reclaim what has been lost to me."</p><p>"I'm sure we will be, Tony," Steve reassures him. Tony's endless nightmare has to stop, and Steve has always been faithful to his word. He will and he must. For the future, he could hold Tony safe in his arms again, to sway Tony in a dance every day till he grows old. </p><p>The lovers parted with a kiss that afternoon after the two had exchanged numbers. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>When Tony left, Steve found Bucky outside the apartment building, burning something  that looked like old clothes into a barrel. He inquires what Bucky has been doing. Bucky said that he is just making himself warm. As Steve is about to leave, Bucky asks Steve "Who was with you earlier?"</p><p>"Uhhh..m" Steve debated whether he should disclose Tony's identity. "A friend from college," he answers.</p><p>"I know it's Tony Stark," Bucky says. "You have always told me about him,"</p><p>"Yeah," Steve said in defeat "It is him, but please, let’s keep it a secret for now,"</p><p>"It's alright," Bucky said, "I'm good at keeping secrets."</p><p>Steve smiles and pats Bucky's shoulder, indicating that he will take his leave for now. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Bucky stares into the open flames of the barrel, watching his shirt disintegrating into ashes. He remembered the time he wore it, a dark December night. “I will tell you something,” he confesses. “I am responsible for killing Tony Stark’s parents, I needed money that time, I didn’t have the choice.” his voice is drained of emotion, but the weight of the event weighed heavily on his chest. “Now, that you know, will you tell Steve?”</p></blockquote></div></div>
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